[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5529-5530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01687]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407; FRL-11703-01-OMS]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; EPA's ENERGY STAR[supreg] Program in the Commercial and 
Industrial Sectors (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the 
Commercial and Industrial Sectors (EPA ICR Number 1772.09, OMB Control 
Number. 2060-0347) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through January 31, 2024. Public comments were previously requested via 
the Federal Register on May 31, 2023, during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before February 28, 2024.

[[Page 5530]]


ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID Number 
EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all 
comments received will be included in the public docket without change 
including any personal information provided, unless the comment 
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI), or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Veit Maia, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, (5230A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-
9494; fax number: 202-343-2204; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through January 31, 2024. An agency may not 
conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on May 31, 2023, during a 60-day comment period (88 FR 34855). This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents that explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: EPA created ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program to help 
businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior 
energy efficiency. The program focuses on reducing utility-generated 
emissions by reducing the demand for energy. In 1991, EPA launched the 
Green Lights Program to encourage corporations, State and local 
governments, colleges and universities, and other organizations to 
adopt energy-efficient lighting as a profitable means of preventing 
pollution and improving lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled 
Green Lights into ENERGY STAR and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass 
organization-wide energy performance improvement, such as building 
technology upgrades, product purchasing initiatives, and employee 
training. At the same time, EPA has streamlined the reporting 
requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused on providing incentives for 
improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR awards program). EPA also makes tools 
and other resources available over the Web to help the public overcome 
the barriers to evaluating their energy performance and investing in 
profitable improvements.
    To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to complete a 
Partnership Application that establishes their commitment to energy 
efficiency. Partners agree to undertake efforts such as measuring, 
tracking, and benchmarking their organization's energy performance by 
using tools such as those offered by ENERGY STAR; developing and 
implementing a plan to improve energy performance in their facilities 
and operations by adopting a strategy provided by ENERGY STAR; 
educating staff and the public about their Partnership with ENERGY 
STAR, and highlighting achievements with the ENERGY STAR, where 
available.
    Partners also may be asked to periodically submit information to 
EPA as needed to assist in program implementation.
    Partnership in ENERGY STAR is voluntary and can be terminated by 
Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect organizations to join 
the program unless they expect participation to be cost-effective and 
otherwise beneficial for them.
    In addition, Partners and other interested parties can seek 
recognition and help EPA promote energy-efficient technologies by 
evaluating the efficiency of their buildings using EPA's online tools 
(e.g., Portfolio Manager) and applying for recognition. EPA does not 
expect any information collected under ENERGY STAR to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI).
    Form Numbers: 5900-19, 5900-195, 5900-197, 5900-198, 5900-22, 5900-
262, 5900-263, 5900-264, 5900-265, 5900-382, 5900-383, 5900-387, 5900-
436, 5900-441, 5900-442, 5900-443, 5900-444, 5900-445, 5900-89, 5900-
622, 5900-623.
    Respondents/affected entities: Participants in EPA's ENERGY STAR 
Program in the commercial and industrial sectors.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 42,196 (total).
    Frequency of response: One-time, annually, or on occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 187,199 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $14,810,511 (per year), includes $5,288,750 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a net decrease of 23,107 hours 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR 
currently approved by OMB. This is a result of a 325-hour increase due 
to program changes and a 23,432-hour decrease due to adjustments.
    Program changes reflect revisions to the array of activities EPA 
carries out under the ENERGY STAR Certification for Buildings. The 
adjustments are primarily related to the benchmarking process. While 
more buildings across the country are following Building Performance 
Standards, the time needed to benchmark each one is diminishing as the 
proportion of first-time respondents falls and their utilization of 
time-saving Web Services grows.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-01687 Filed 1-26-24; 8:45 am]
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